Consideration and Approval of Contract:  Ratify Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project Challenge Cost Share Agreement 19-CS-11030408-025 with the US Forest Service for Dry Lake Hills.

This Agreement obligates federal funds, thus allowing planned and necessary work within the Dry Lake Hills (DLH) to occur.  Both the City and US Forest Service are partners in the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project (FWPP) and engaged in on-going forest treatment work in the DLH area.  The US Forest Service had allocated funds to do work in the area, some of which was necessitated by the Museum Fire, but needed to obligate the funds prior to the end of the federal fiscal year (Sept 30, 2019).  They were unable to do so via their normal procurement/contract process prior to this date and thus risked losing these funds, but could obligate those funds to the City to undertake/oversee this work prior to the end-of-the fiscal year via this Challenge Cost Share (CCS) Agreement.   

This Agreement provides for up to $700,000 of FWPP related work to be completed in the DLH, paid to the City by the US Forest Service, on a reimbursable basis.  The City will provide $193,937 in match via in-kind salaries/labor and indirect/overhead costs.

COUNCIL GOALS: Forest Treatments . . . 
Climate Change:  improve/maintain forest ecosystems and positions them to better withstand change-agents such as climate change.  The work on Observatory Mesa and elsewhere is science-based and a climate action-plan in operation.
Water Conservation: preserve water sources and prevent long-term damage to critical watersheds.
Environmental and Natural Resources:  protect and sustain our natural environment, reducing catastrophic fire and post-fire flooding events and insect infestations, preserving valuable wildlife habitat, allowing for recreational ventures and business operations,  and maintaining community well-being (to include public safety - first responders, residents, and visitors).
Community Outreach:  demonstrate need for, and solutions to, our forest health crisis, allowing us to showcase work, conduct field tours, and encourage residents to take action to protect their neighborhood, property, and home.  

REGIONAL PLAN:
Environmental Planning & Conservation – Vision for the Future:  In 2013, the long-term health and viability of our natural resource environment is maintained through strategic planning for resource conservation and protection.
Policy E&C.3.3 – Invest in forest health and watershed protection measures.
Policy E&C.6.1 – Encourage public awareness that the region’s ponderosa pine forest is a fire-dependent ecosystem and strive to restore more natural and sustainable forest composition, structure, and processes.
Policy E&C.6.3 – Promote protection, conservation, and ecological restoration of the region’s diverse ecosystem type and associated animals.
Policy E&C.6.6 – Support collaborative efforts for forest health initiatives or practices, such as the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), to support healthy forests and protect our water system.
Policy E&C.10.2 – Protect, conserve, and when possible, enhance and restore wildlife habitat on public land.

Not on this specific issue/award.  Council was, however, notified this Agreement would be forthcoming for consideration during the Sept 10 Work Session.  In addition, Council did approve the bond issue to be presented to the voters (summer 2012), has approved other grant awards and contracts related to FWPP, and has been kept updated on issues throughout the overall effort.   
 

Two exist:

1. Approve the Challenge Grant Agreement, permitting forest treatment work to proceed as planned.  This obligates the federal funds to the City, permits full-use of the reimbursable amount, and prevents those funds from being lost for FWPP use at the end of the federal fiscal year (Sept 2019).
2. Pass on the Challenge Grant Agreement.  This will result in planned/necessary work either being delayed as new federal funds are sought, or left undone if those funds can not be secured in upcoming federal appropriations. 

Left unaddressed, damage and loss of our forests from destructive wildfire and to our community from post-fire flood events will remain an ever-present threat.   Areas that have undergone proactive forest treatments (ie – thinning, debris disposal, and/or prescribed/managed fire) are not only healthier and more resilient to damaging agents, they also provide a barrier to the spread of these agents once they do become established.  Such treated areas enhance public safety, ensure infrastructure protection, and safe-guard community well-being.   Within our community and immediate area, the Woody Fire (2005), Hardy Fire (2010), and Slide Fire (2014) dramatically demonstrate the value of these treatments: the Schultz Fire (2010) shows what can happen when such treatments are not in-place.  The various Statements of Work (SoW) within this Agreement are integral parts of the overall forest treatment effort and/or important post-Museum Fire repair/rehabilitation efforts.
 

There are six (6) SoW tasks in this Agreement.  In no particular order or priority, they are:

• Slash relocation and/or disposal (movement of slash from treatment operations to safe disposal area);
• Log Deck relocation (movement of logs from FWPP area to designated staging/deck site in Schultz Burn area);
• Hazard Tree removal (designated trees adjacent to Mt Elden Road damaged/killed by Museum Fire);
• Firewood processing (if unable to sell log decks, buck/split wood for later distribution: wood ownership does not transfer to City);
• Road maintenance (Mt Elden and Schultz Pass roads: repair/maintain due to forest treatment activities/impacts); and
• Forest System Trail repair, rehab, maintenance (trails damaged by the Museum fire).

Much/most of the actual work will be contracted to 3rd parties.  City procurement process will be utilized to solicit, evaluate, and award projects.  City will manage, oversee, and approve work for payment to contractors (and will be reimbursed by US Forest Service. Should US Forest Service allocated funds prove insufficient to complete all SoW tasks, the City will not be required to fund the difference: those tasks, or aspects of tasks, not yet completed will be dropped.  The order in SoW tasks will be offered to 3rd parties will be a matter for future discussion with the US Forest Service, and the sequencing will likely be dictated by operational pace and interaction of all treatment work in the area.  This is a three (3) year agreement, and does not expire until Sept 30, 2022. 

None

Multiple partners have been engaged in the FWPP effort since its inception, and these partnership efforts have continued throughout planned and completed work within DLH.   In addition to the City and US Forest Service, these entities have  included US Fish & Wildlife Service, NAU's Ecological Restoration Institute, The Nature Conservancy, Navajo Nation, Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership, American Conservation Experience, and the AZ Conservation Corps.  Completion of the various SoW tasks will protect adjacent neighborhoods, recreational opportunities, and wildlife habitat, while promoting forest resiliency and sustainability.
 

Inform – Following the 50 campaign events leading up to the bond election (Nov 2012), we have continued to work at keeping the community informed of what we are doing, and why.  The Project website (www.flagstaffwatershedprotection.org) is one way: numerous news stories have also been crafted and/or otherwise reported.  Impromptu and announced field trips are an on-going staple of the effort.  City staff has interacted with numerous individuals hiking, running, or biking through the area, as well as with other community members interested in the work.  
 
Consult – We’ve worked with US Forest Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service staff to protect habitat, and with adjacent neighborhoods and interest groups to manage traffic and access into the area.  
 
Involve – Community members have been hired as seasonal crew members for American Conservation Experience, AZ Conservation Corps, and the Fire Dept crew and all have been engaged in conducting some of the work itself. 
 
Empower – The planned forest treatments are part of a larger effort underway in our area and throughout northern AZ.  We and our many partners have been engaged for ovr two decades in this work, on various jurisdictions and site conditions, and have utilized a variety of prescriptions and approaches to ensure we have a full-suite of treatments across the greater landscape.  The work to be funded by this award is based upon credible and proven science-based forest restoration and hazard fuel management standards and knowledge.  It adheres to guidelines established in the Greater Flagstaff Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan (City & County - 2005), is consistent with forest treatments designed and implemented by the Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership (1999-present) and the City of Flagstaff Wildland Fire Management program (1998-present), meets the goals of the State of AZ 20-Year Strategy (2007), is consistent with the required actions identified in the Four Forests Restoration Initiative's and the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project's Final Records of Decision (USFS - 2015).  Further, it meets grant requirements for post-treatment conditions.